New Japan Pro-Wrestling G1 Climax 29 Night 2: Results and Analysis

Juice Robinson vs Shingo Takagi

Juice is out here looking like 90’s Miami fashion fell into a Twirl O Paint. That marriage is some kind of funky Carmen Sandiego and I’m pretty sure I’m 100% here for it. Shingo, on the other hand, has done no arts and crafts and looks stacked as ever trying to prove himself in his first G1.

Not too surprisingly, Juice and Shingo found themselves on even ground at the onset of the match. It was only when the action spilled to the floor that Shingo got his first advantage. One thing about Shingo that really makes him stand out from anyone else on the roster is how explosive his offense looks. Simple shoulder blocks look like they could bring down a building.

As Juice rallied back and set Shingo up for the Left Hand of God, Shingo caught him off guard with a right hand of his own before leveling the former US Champion with a devastating lariat. Showing his heart and nuts (well, not really), Juice fought back from under the domineering Shingo to hit play some of the hits.

In a mad flurry, Juice leveled Shingo with the Juice Box, corner cannonball, and a jackhammer in rapid succession. It wasn’t enough to keep the NJPW Best of Super Juniors finalist down, though, and Juice set up for Pulp Friction. Having the move scouted, Shingo slipped out as Juice crashed to the mat and followed up with a sliding lariat.

With another Pulp Friction attempt, Shingo once again wiggled free and connected with the Noshigami for a deep two count. At long last, Juice was eventually able to tie Shingo up once more with a successful Pulp Friction and pick up the huge victory!

This was a crucial contest for both wrestlers. Juice is coming off of an IWGP US Title loss to Jon Moxley and while he didn’t look weak in the least, he needed to get himself back on solid ground. For Shingo, winning his first match in the G1 would signify his ability to dominate not only the junior division but the heavyweight division as well.

The loss here doesn’t spell the end for Shingo, though. His NJPW Best of Super Juniors finals counterpart Will Ospreay lost his first G1 match to Lance Archer as well. For the junior heavyweights, winning their opening matches begins to tell a story through the rest of the tournament.

It makes sense that both Ospreay and Shingo would lose. They’re coming off of a grueling tournament themselves and are facing new and unique challenges amongst the heavyweights in NJPW. When Ospreay last defeated Lance Archer in the New Japan Cup, he wasn’t coming off of a massive round-robin tournament.

Ospreay has his work cut out for him against SANADA on July 14 while Shingo will need to contend with another bizarre variable on July 15 – Toru Yano. Can the junior heavyweights turn the tide on their larger NJPW counterparts in their next G1 Climax matches?